Hillside Album Hour Returns to MerleFest 25!

Warren Hood In Front of 5000 

Hillside Album Hour Fans - 2010

A press release sent out from Wilkes Community College last week announcing the artist lineup for MerleFest 25 presented by Lowes® failed to mention any word about the popular group The Waybacks.  That was because, at the time, confirmation of the group’s availability had not yet been firmed up.

Nervous Fans lost no time in communicating their anxiety. The Wilkes College Facebook Page was almost immediately slammed with questions about the obvious absence of the group from the official Line-Up and the therefore questionable status of the Wayback’s popular “Hillside Album Hour” a feature of their MerleFest show that attracts as many as 5000 fans to a particular hillside to attempt guesses at a secret Classic Rock Album the group wants to feature by playing songs from the album.

Wayback fans and Hillside participants can breath a sigh of relief.  Confirmation that the Waybacks and subsequently the “Hillside Album Hour” will definitely be a part of this year’s festival came today from Amber Herman, WCC Public Information and Relations Officer.


Early-Bird Ticket Sales available for MerleFest 25 beginning tomorrow!


Ticket sales for MerleFest 25, slated for April 26 – 29, 2012,  will begin on Tuesday, November 8, at 2:00 p.m. EST. Ticket purchases can be made on the web at www.merlefest.org or by calling 1-800-343-7857. The four-day festival will once again take place on the campus of Wilkes Community College in Wilkesboro, North Carolina. MerleFest is an annual homecoming of musicians and music fans, gathering to celebrate the memory of musician Eddy Merle Watson, beloved son of American music icon Doc Watson.

A complete list of the initial lineup for MerleFest 25 is available at www.merlefest.org. Additionally, up-to-the-minute lineup additions for the festival can be obtained through the festival’s e-newsletter and various social media. For instance, this past weekend, it was first announced through Facebook and Twitter that the Waybacks have been confirmed for MerleFest 25, ensuring that the popular festival feature “Hillside Album Hour” will take place once again this year.

With nearly 90 artists performing on 14 stages during the course of the event, MerleFest 25 is an entertainment value. An early bird ticket discount is available through March 12, 2012.



MerleFest, considered one of the premiere music festivals in the country, is held on the campus of Wilkes Community College in Wilkesboro, North Carolina. MerleFest was founded in 1988 in memory of Eddy Merle Watson and is a celebration of “traditional plus” music. The annual festival has become the primary fundraiser for the WCC Endowment Corporation, funding scholarships, capital projects and other educational needs.